1/11/06
Cut&Paste from The Post Courier
http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20061101/wehome.htm


THE New York-based Human Rights Watch group has again highlighted the issue of police brutality against children in Papua New Guinea. Their latest report titled “Still Making Their Own Rules: Ongoing Impunity of Police Beatings, Rape, and Torture in Papua New Guinea” is a follow-up of their first report in 2005 detailing stories of police brutality against children. Sadly, since the report was released to the public, no action has been taken or investigations conducted into the multitude of allegations raised, let alone prosecutions of those involved. We dare say that this new report will meet the same fate as the first one — shelved at the police headquarters in Konedobu and forgotten about. The Police Administrative Review has made strong recommendations for discipline to be enforced in the police force, yet this does not seem to have happened. We need a new culture of police in Papua New Guinea and we need it badly.

The public have lost confidence in the police as law enforcers who are caring and trustworthy. People fear police and in many instances do not want to co-operate with them in dealing with crime in the community because of the behaviour of a minority of policemen. That culture must change. But that change must come from the police. They have to demonstrate to the public that there is discipline in the force and that they will not treat the general public, especially children, in the manner vividly described in the Human Rights Watch group’s report. More so, we want children to grow up recognising the policeman on the beat as their friend and not their enemy.

Police have a difficult job in enforcing the law in PNG but that does not mean they can justify their actions by engaging in acts of brutality against anyone, let alone children who are suspected of breaking the law. We urge the Police Commissioner and his senior officers to take note of the issues raised in the Human Rights Watch report and take action to stamp out violence in the force against children. This report has tarnished the image of the PNG police in the eyes of the international community. That is unfortunate because the majority of the police force are good people. It is the minority whose behaviour unfortunately has ruined the image of the force.

check the report out:
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/png1006/

I read the reports about the abuse, the thing is what are we going to do about it? We can't continue to live in fear of people who we pay to protect us, right?

full support sam-i-am, WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT ABUSE??

1. Form an awareness group. i.e., find information about abuse and relavent human rights policies etc...
2. Form a sms hotline service to dob in police number plates that are abusing the uniform of the state.